After nearly 20 years with the New York City Ballet, principal dancer Maria Kowroski is no longer demanding perfection of herself. These days, she just wants to have fun.

"Perfectionism is something I've struggled with my whole career, and now I'm embracing where I'm at," she said in a recent interview. "I'm more accepting of my flaws, of anything that comes with me. Now, when I go out there, I don't have to get the approval of every critic and every audience member."

That newfound freedom is allowing her to embody her roles with more heart and creativity, she said. During City Ballet's upcoming run at SPAC, Tuesday through Saturday, July 12, Capital Region audiences will see Kowroski not only in classical ballets but also in a role choreographed especially for her by Justin Peck, in his new work, "Everywhere We Go," with music by Sufjan Stevens.

"I'm entering that stage in my career where I'm the oldest one in the ballet, and to be created on at this stage is always an opportunity for me to grow," said Kowroski, who's a couple years shy of the four-decade mark. "It was my first time working with Justin, and I was a little bit nervous at first. But whenever you're in the room during the creative process, it brings out good qualities in everybody."

With seven programs of mixed repertoire on the schedule, beginning with an evening of George Balanchine ballets (including the iconic "Who Cares?"), the company will have a chance to showcase what Kowroski says is an especially strong and inspired group of dancers. But she adds that she and her colleagues are looking forward to 2015, when NYCB will return to a two-week engagement at SPAC, its summer home for nearly five decades.

"We all love coming up to Saratoga," she said. "We rent homes or stay with friends, and just hang out and cook together."

But the company is packing a lot into the week, including ballets by Jerome Robbins and company director Peter Martins, as well as selected works from NYCB's spring "Festival of 21st Century Choreographers." Also on the docket are Balanchine's "Union Jack," a tribute to all things British, and Christopher Wheeldon's "After the Rain," which will mark the final City Ballet performance for Wendy Whelan, Kowroski's friend and mentor.

While most of these ballets have been danced many, many times, Kowroski says the challenge for the dancers lies in making it fresh every time. She has been dancing since age 7, when she began her ballet training in her hometown of Grand Rapids, Mich. She entered NYCB's School of American Ballet in 1992, became an apprentice with the company two years later, then a corps de ballet member and soloist. She was promoted to principal dancer in 1999.

"When I was first given roles, it was just, get on stage and do it and hope for the best," she recalled. "Over the years, I've had a lot of time to grow in the roles. You can work on technique till the cows come home, but it's more about making it exciting for you. It's about what you bring to it, your interpretation of the role. As you evolve as an individual, the things that make you grow as a person enrich your dancing as well."

It was Whelan, she said, who advised her to "reinvent herself" each season, to find something different to work on or to challenge herself with, in order to stay inspired.

"It was really good advice," Kowroski said. "Wendy has been such a wonderful supporter, not only to me but to a lot of dancers in the company. It's hard to see her go, and it will be hard to fill her shoes. She's so strong, so creative and she just loves what she does. There are so many amazing ballets choreographed on her that she's leaving behind."

"After the Rain," Kowroski says, is the perfect dance for Whelan to go out on.

"It was one of the last ballets made for her and Jock Soto," Whelan's frequent partner until his retirement in 2005, Kowroski said. "Growing up in the company, I loved watching them. They had such a great chemistry on stage — they made everything look effortless."

Whelan's departure highlights a question Kowroski says she thinks about all the time: How much longer will she be dancing? Though she wants to start a family (she married English actor Martin Harvey in 2011), she hasn't set a date for retirement, even in her mind.

"It depends on how I'm dancing and how my body feels," she said. "Right now, I'm feeling blessed to enjoy these beautiful ballets while I can."